Pokémon: Trainers Start as Bounty Hunters.

Chapter 284 The Round of 16: A defeat at the hands of one person.

"I appreciate your concession."

At the contestant entrance, Tetsuya and Natsuko Hatayama exchanged a brief greeting before heading in different directions.

"That's impressive."

In the stands, three friends took turns giving Tetsuya a good punch to express their congratulations.

Tetsuya's face immediately turned a little red.

He had every reason to believe that these guys were taking the opportunity to retaliate against him.

But Tetsuya, in a great mood, didn't bother with them. After all, they couldn't enjoy the thrill of victory.

"Well, it's alright."

Tetsuya's smug tone naturally earned him eye rolls from the three of them.

"Ye Zang, you'd better watch carefully, because your next opponent is the one who will be fighting in the next round."

Tetsuya glanced teasingly at the nervous Yozo.

"Just shut your mouth," Ye Zang said rudely, rolling his eyes.

Tetsuya shrugged with a smile, exchanged glances with the other two, and thought to himself that even the talkative Yozo had a day when he told people to shut up.

However, he wisely refrained from saying anything more, lest the relaxation effect be counterproductive and instead cause Ye Zang's mental state to collapse, which would not be good.

But the next moment, Yozo's words made Tetsuya change his mind.

"Besides, I advise you to take a good look too. He might be your opponent in the round of 16."

Yozo gave Tetsuya a "blessing" with a blank expression.

Tetsuya responded with a friendly greeting gesture as a token of his gratitude.

As the group chatted and laughed, the second battle of the day had already begun below.

The once slightly noisy spectator stands quickly quieted down. Even when people spoke, they did so in hushed tones, and upon closer listening, it was clear that every other sentence revolved around analyzing the Pokémon of the players on the field.

Everything proceeded as usual, and all eyes were on the Quartz Conference.

Dark organizations such as Team Rocket and other poacher groups have also remained silent and made no moves during this period.

Time quickly passed to the morning of the draw for the Round of 16.

"Your mouth is cursed, isn't it? Confess honestly, are you Gastly in disguise?"

Tetsuya walked out of the service hall with a disgruntled expression and unleashed a torrent of abuse on Yozo who came to greet him.

Ye Zang was completely bewildered; he hadn't done anything at all.

Lu Ping reacted faster: "You didn't actually run into Shinagawa Seiji, did you?"

His tone carried a hint of disbelief, along with a touch of speechlessness.

Tetsuya nodded hard, his face dark.

"I feel like one of the four of us is an eyebrow pencil, but I won't say who."

Yamashiro-kun also spoke quietly from the side.

"pu...cough"

Yozo made a strange sound.

"Don't hold it in, just laugh if you want to," Tetsuya advised him "kindly."

"I wasn't laughing. It's normal, it's just a matter of probability." Ye Zang put on a very serious expression.

Tetsuya responded with a cold laugh.

"I never expected that we would be defeated by one person. Don't you think this is what they call fate?" Yamashiro-kun said with a bit of a laugh.

As for Tetsuya defeating Shinagawa Seiji? That idea is far too crazy and unrealistic.

The main reason is that Tetsuya's main team's Pokémon composition is at a significant disadvantage against the opponent's Water-type ace Pokémon, and is even quite obviously countered.

You can't expect a Serperior that has just broken through to the Elite Four level and an Elite-level Ampharos to defeat a Blastoise that is suspected to be Elite Four level.

"What a misfortune!" Tetsuya sighed, looking up at the sky.

Most importantly, this was his first match out of eight, and he didn't even have enough time to prepare.

"Keep it up!" Lu Ping kindly encouraged him.

"Alright, I'll go first then."

Tetsuya turned and headed towards the entrance of the arena. His back view alone gave off a sense of desolation, like the line "The wind is howling and the Yi River is cold."

As his figure disappeared from sight, the other three also silently looked up at the sky and fell silent.

For these young people who are attending the conference for the first time, being eliminated will still be very sad.

The fact that my friends could continue fighting would have somewhat eased my sadness, but I never expected that all four of us would be eliminated so soon.

However, they did not come away empty-handed.

"Hello, you must be Oniha Yozo, right? I'm the host of the league's TV program. Before the round of 16 begins, would you mind having a few minutes for an interview?"

A beautiful woman holding a microphone approached Ye Zang, followed by several cameramen.

Ye Zang immediately tidied his appearance and answered the questions with great energy.

Shika Hei and his companion were also busy. Although they received less attention than Yozo, as members of the top 64, they were still highly regarded star trainers at the moment.

Moreover, judging from their age and experience, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that they are rising stars.

They don't resist becoming famous.

Although trainers focus more on strength, the benefits of increased fame are also obvious; the economic gains alone speak for themselves.

It's true that all three are members of large families, but that doesn't mean they can overdraw on their family's resources. In any place, effort and reward are proportional.

Once they officially debut and achieve success at the convention, they will have to cover many of their own expenses. Their families can only provide assistance at certain times, as resources are limited.

Even with his exceptional talent, the support he received from his family was not limitless; the prosperity of his family never depended on just one person.

In other words, even if Lance disappears now, the Dragon Clan represented by the Inkstone Gym will not fall into obscurity. It still has many powerful trainers supporting it; at most, it just means that its fame is not as great on the surface.

While the three of them are taking responsibility for their future and working hard, Tetsuya is giving his Pokémon their final instructions in the players' lounge.

"...

In short, the opposing crow leader excels at launching surprise attacks from blind spots. If you don't spot it immediately, use acrobatics or a tornado to evade or block the incoming attack.

He gave his final remarks to his last companion, Pidgeot.

"Beep~"

The Pidgeot let out an excited cry.

From Tetsuya's attitude, it's clear that this battle is different from previous matches.

Despite being lazy at times, Pidgeot is still full of interest and desire to battle against strong opponents.

Tetsuya looked around.

Blaziken, its wrists surging with flames; Gigalith, its body shimmering with crystals; Serperior, its tail sweeping wildly across the ground; Togekiss, its eyes narrowed in a smile; and a pink Electric Dragon, its eyes crackling with electricity.

The other five elves, like their elder brother, were full of fighting spirit.

Tetsuya's smile widened.

"So, let's go, guys, without any regrets."

The door to the lounge slowly opened and then slowly closed, creating an interplay of light and shadow.

Chapter 285 Battle of Shinagawa (6k)

"Hello everyone watching on TV, welcome to the Quartz Conference Round of 16. I am your host, Hachie."

Before the match begins, let's take a look at all the matchups for this round.

First, the first match is a battle between two highly anticipated players, Tetsuya Tamaki and Seiji Shinagawa.

In the previous competition, Tetsuya Tamaki, as a rookie trainer who had just debuted and was participating in the regional tournament for the first time, had a very impressive and outstanding performance...

The host, dressed in traditional Kanto attire, smiled as he reported live from the Quartz Arena to the camera.

Inside Nibi Dojo.

"Hmm, it seems our plan to go watch Tetsuya's match live will have to be canceled," Jiro said helplessly, huddled in the corner of the sofa.

The main reason is still his own. He had a slight problem with his school's final exams this semester, so he can only go to Quartz Plateau with his family to watch the competition live during the quarterfinals.

Otherwise, the private spectator box at Pewter Dojo would have been occupied a few days ago.

"I can only say that this kid is just unlucky. But at this point, another round won't help him much," Wu Neng said nonchalantly, picking his nose as he answered his second son's question.

To be honest, Zhe's ability to get to this point was somewhat beyond his expectations.

It can only be said that Serperior's rapid progress played a crucial role; otherwise, Tetsuya's first-round opponent, Sugiyama Kage, would not have been so easily defeated.

In addition, I was lucky in the second round of the draw. I didn't encounter an opponent of similar strength but with better attributes. Instead, I encountered a simpleton.

Well, in Wu Neng's eyes, that trainer named Xia Zi was just a simpleton.

“It’s not impossible to go further.” Xiao Gang sat solemnly to the side, a stark contrast to his father and younger brother.

“Back to Jiro, I think Father, you need to hand him over to Grandpa for a lesson as well.”

With his eyes slightly narrowed, Xiao Gang calmly uttered the words that caused Jiro's expression to change drastically.

"I'm still young and have to go to school, there's no need for that," Jiro said weakly.

But it is clear that he has almost no say in his own home, and no one pays attention to his struggles.

Wu Neng stroked his chin, clearly tempted.

He has a clear understanding of his own ability to teach children, which is the complete opposite of his ability to train and command Pokémon.

Let alone teaching, he wasn't even very good at taking care of children. If it weren't for Xiaogang taking over the care of his younger siblings after he got a little older, who knows what kind of unfortunate situation Jiro and the others would have suffered.

"You two got lectured by Grandpa yourselves and still had to drag me into it," Jiro shouted, venting his final frustration.

He then sensed something was wrong.

"He is indeed a bit too young now. How about this, let him come with me for a while and experience it for a period of time. Grandpa hasn't seen Jiro in a long time either."

Xiao Gang walked to his younger brother with a slightly ferocious expression and started stretching his hands and feet.

Wu Neng sat up straight and nodded: "I think Xiao Gang's suggestion is quite good."

Jiro was on the verge of tears when, just then, the television screen changed, and he glanced at it and quickly shouted, "The match is starting! The match is starting!"

The live stream cut to Tetsuya's appearance.

"This is the young man you've been mentioning, Tetsuya. He is indeed very handsome."

A woman carrying two potted plants walked by and casually sighed.

"Mother, we already have enough potted plants at home," Xiao Gang said with a hint of helplessness.

“I know, I know, this is for the dojo!” Xiaogang’s mother, Xiao Mi, replied with a smile.

The only noteworthy thing is that Xiaomi has a pair of big eyes that look no different from ordinary people, but to the Wu Neng family they seem like the most beautiful flowers.

It can only be said that Wu Neng's genes are indeed strong; all ten of his children have squinty eyes, but this is actually a good thing for him.

Xiaomi carried the green plant and hummed a song as she walked out.

"We are the Rock-type Gym."

Xiao Gang's weak words were clearly ignored by his mother.

He clutched his head in pain, and when he looked at his lazy, good-natured father next to him, his headache only got worse.

"Being a professional trainer and going on adventures sounds pretty good."

Meanwhile, Wu Neng, who seemed carefree and nonchalant, was pondering his younger brother's suggestion.

“Perfect timing. Xiao Gang has grown up, it’s time for him to take over the pipe club. At worst, I can just lend my name. With his father around, there won’t be any problems.”